Britain warns Israel it could recognize Palestinian state as Gaza starves
The warning, which drew a harsh Israeli rebuke, came after a hunger monitor said a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding and immediate action is needed to avoid widespread death. Palestinian authorities said more than 60,000 Palestinians were now confirmed killed by Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
The hunger alert and the new death toll are grim milestones in the current conflict that began in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, sparking an offensive that has flattened much of the enclave and ignited hostilities across the Middle East.
The alert by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) raised the prospect that the starvation crisis in Gaza could be formally classified as a famine, in the hope that this might raise the pressure on Israel to let in far more food.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's warning heightens pressure on Israel amid an international outcry over its conduct of the war. France announced last week it would recognize Palestinian statehood in September, a move that enraged the Israeli government.
A Palestinian accompanies another who was injured while attempting to get food from aid trucks entering the Israel-besieged Gaza Strip from the northern Zikim border crossing. |
AFP-JIJI
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on social media platform X that Starmer's decision "rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims," adding that "A jihadist state on Israel's border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW."
U.S. President Donald Trump said he did not discuss Britain's plans on Palestinian statehood during talks with Starmer in Scotland on Monday, when he told reporters he did "not mind" if Britain made such a move.
But on Tuesday he said aboard Air Force One that he did not think Hamas "should be rewarded" with recognition of Palestinian independence.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described Starmer's decision as "bold,' according to Palestinian state news agency WAFA.
Starmer told his Cabinet that Britain would recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September "unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution," his government said.
The move, if carried through, would be mostly symbolic, with Israel occupying the territories where the Palestinians have long aimed to establish that state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Palestinians climb on the back of an aid truck west of Beit Lahia in an attempt to secure food on Tuesday. |
AFP-JIJI
It makes Israel more isolated on the international stage as a growing number of countries call for it to allow unfettered aid into Gaza, where it controls all entry and exit points to the besieged coastal territory.
However, Trump's administration — Israel's closest and most influential ally — has made clear it has no intention of joining others in recognizing Palestinian statehood anytime soon. Since returning to office in January, Trump has been vague about whether or not he would support an eventual Palestinian state.
Starmer held separate phone calls with Netanyahu and Abbas on Tuesday before making his announcement.
Evidence of starvation, malnutrition, disease
With the international furor over Gaza's ordeal growing, Israel announced steps over the weekend to ease aid access. But the U.N. World Food Program said on Tuesday it was not getting the permissions it needed to deliver enough aid since Israel began humanitarian pauses in warfare on Sunday.
"Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths," the IPC said, adding that "famine thresholds" have been reached for food consumption in most of Gaza.
It said it would quickly carry out the formal analysis that could allow it to classify Gaza as "in famine."
Palestinians watch an Israeli military boat as they gather on a coastal path west of Beit Lahia to attempt to get food aid on Tuesday. |
AFP-JIJI
Gaza health authorities have been reporting more and more people dying from hunger-related causes. The total stands at 147, among them 88 children, most of whom died in the last few weeks.
Images of emaciated Palestinian children have shocked the world, with Israel's strongest ally Trump declaring that many people were starving. He promised to set up new "food centers".
Israel has denied pursuing a policy of starvation. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday that the situation in Gaza was "tough" but there were lies about starvation there.
Deadliest conflict
The Gazan casualty figures, which are often cited by the U.N. and have previously been described as reliable by the World Health Organization, underline the war as the deadliest involving Israel since its establishment in 1948.
Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, when militants killed some 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage — Israel's deadliest ever day. Since Israel launched ground operations in Gaza in October 2023, 454 soldiers have been killed.
The new Palestinian toll does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Thousands more bodies are believed to be buried under rubble, meaning the true toll is likely to be significantly higher, Palestinian officials and rescue workers say.
Israeli airstrikes overnight killed at least 30 Palestinians in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, Gaza health authorities said. Doctors at Al-Awda Hospital said at least 14 women and 12 children were among the dead.
The hospital also said that 13 people had been killed and dozens wounded by Israeli gunfire along the Salahudeen Road as they waited for aid trucks to roll into Gaza.
Saar said 5,000 aid trucks had entered Gaza in the last two months, and that Israel would assist those wanting to conduct airdrops — a delivery method that aid groups say is ineffective and a token.
Israel and the U.S. accuse Hamas of stealing aid — which the militants deny — and the U.N. of failing to prevent it. The U.N. says it has not seen evidence of Hamas diverting much aid. Hamas accuses Israel of causing starvation and using aid as a weapon.
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Japan Today
23 minutes ago
- Japan Today
U.S. envoy tells Israeli hostage families he is working on plan to end Gaza War
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Japan Times
16 hours ago
- Japan Times
Israeli military intelligence goes back to basics with focus on spies, not tech
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Yet even as debate continues about who was at fault and how much Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knew in advance of the attacks, the intelligence branch has accepted the brunt of the blame. The agency had a "fundamental misunderstanding' of Hamas ideology and its concrete plans, said a military intelligence officer, laying out the changes and speaking under standard military anonymity. While the service was aware of Hamas' scheme to capture military bases and civilian communities near Gaza, even watching militants rehearse in plain sight, the assessment was that they were fantasizing. Analysts concluded that the Iran-backed Islamist group was content in its role as ruler, pacified by foreign donations and well-paid work for some Gazans in Israel. The failure to meet the enemy on its own terms is one that Israel's security apparatus is determined never to repeat. "If more Israelis could read Hamas newspapers and listen to their radio,' said Michael Milshtein, who heads Palestinian studies at Tel Aviv University's Dayan Center, "they'd understand Hamas was not deterred and was seeking jihad.' The renewed focus on language and religious training represents what the intelligence officer calls "a deep cultural shift' in an organization where even top officers rely on translations. The aim, the person said, is to create an internal culture "that lives and breathes how our enemy thinks.' Yet Milshtein and others say that for this to succeed, it will require significant, society-wide changes. Although Arabic is offered in public schools, most Israelis study English instead. Silicon Valley looms large for ambitious young people, who learn little about countries only a few hours away. The challenge lies in convincing Israelis to focus more on the region — its cultures, languages and threats — and less on global opportunities. 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Yomiuri Shimbun
19 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
US Envoy Visits Aid Site in Gaza Run by Israeli-Backed Group That Has Been Heavily Criticized
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Hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli fire while heading to such aid sites since May, according to witnesses, health officials and the United Nations human rights office. Israel and GHF say they have only fired warning shots and that the toll has been exaggerated. In a report issued on Friday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said GHF was at the heart of a 'flawed, militarized aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths.' Witkoff says he's working on a new Gaza aid plan Witkoff posted on X that he had spent over five hours inside Gaza in order to gain 'a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza.' He did not request any meetings with U.N. officials in Gaza during his visit, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. U.N. agencies have provided aid throughout Gaza since the start of the war, when conditions allow. Chapin Fay, a spokesperson for GHF, said the visit reflected Trump's understanding of the stakes and that 'feeding civilians, not Hamas, must be the priority.' The aid group says it has delivered over 100 million meals since it began operations in May. All four of the group's sites established in May are in zones controlled by the Israeli military and have become flashpoints of desperation, with starving people scrambling for scarce aid. More than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli fire since May while seeking aid in the territory, most near the GHF sites but also near United Nations aid convoys, the U.N. human rights office said last month. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. 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The Israeli military said it struck several armed militants in northern Gaza but that the strike 'was not conducted near the passage of the humanitarian aid trucks and no damage was caused to them.' The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said 11 people were killed at another aid distribution point in Gaza City. There was no immediate comment from the military on those deaths. HRW slams Israeli-backed aid system Human Rights Watch said in its report that 'it would be near impossible for Palestinians to follow the instructions issued by GHF, stay safe, and receive aid, particularly in the context of ongoing military operations.' It cited doctors, aid seekers and at least one GHF security contractor. Building on previous accounts, it described how how thousands of Palestinians gather near the sites at night before they open. As they head to the sites on foot, Israeli forces control their movements by opening fire toward them. Once inside the sites, they race for aid in a frenzied fee-for-all, with weaker and more vulnerable people coming away with nothing, HRW said. Responding to the report, Israel's military accused Hamas of sabotaging the aid distribution system, without providing evidence. It said it was working to make the routes under its control safer for those traveling to aid sites. GHF did not immediately respond to questions about the report. The group has never allowed journalists to visit their sites and Israel's military has barred reporters from independently entering Gaza throughout the war. Top German diplomat condemns settler violence in the West Bank Germany's foreign minister visited Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian Christian village that has seen recent attacks by Israeli settlers. Johann Wadephul said Israel's settlements are an obstacle to peace and condemned settler violence. He also called on Hamas to lay down its arms in Gaza and release the remaining hostages. Germany has so far declined to join other major Western countries in announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state. Palestinians in another nearby town laid to rest 45-year-old Khamis Ayad, who they say suffocated while extinguishing fires set by settlers during an attack the night before. Witnesses said Israeli forces fired live rounds and tear gas toward residents after the settlers attacked. Israel's military said police were investigating the incident. They said security forces found Hebrew graffiti and a burnt vehicle at the scene but had not detained any suspects. There has been a rise in settler attacks, as well as Palestinian militant attacks on Israelis and large-scale Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel out of Gaza that triggered the Israel-Hamas war. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, that day and abducted 251 others. They still hold 50 hostages, including around 20 believed to be alive. Most of the others have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians and operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
